Tim Giuliani, President & CEO, Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP)

April 2026 — Invest: spoke with Tim Giuliani, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP), about the region’s economic performance, sector diversification, and global ambitions. “We continue to outperform the United States. We continue to outperform the state of Florida,” Giuliani said, pointing to steady job growth, rising business confidence, and Orlando’s evolution into an international, innovation-driven metro.

How would you describe the past year in terms of Greater Orlando’s economic development momentum?

Orlando continues to outperform the United States and  the state of Florida. Relative to national and statewide economic conditions, Orlando continues to stand out.

Last year was a slower job growth year across the country, and we certainly experienced some slowdown in Central Florida as well. However, our job growth still outpaced what we are seeing nationally and statewide. Even in a more cautious economic environment, the fundamentals here remain strong, and that relative performance matters when companies are comparing markets.

With roughly 1,000 new residents arriving each week, what changes have been most visible in the region’s economic profile?

The standout sector in 2025 was education and healthcare. That is where we saw the most growth, with more than 10,000 jobs added during the year. This came despite the United States experiencing its weakest year of job growth since the pandemic.

Population growth continues to fuel demand for services, talent, and infrastructure. Education and healthcare expansion reflects both the needs of a growing community and the long-term investments being made in the region’s workforce and quality of life. It also signals that employers serving residents, patients, and students are scaling alongside the region, which is an important indicator of durable momentum.

Technology was previously identified as a major growth driver. How has that sector evolved, and what other sectors are shaping the region?

Most of the slowdown we experienced was concentrated in more consumer-driven sectors. Education, healthcare, and technology continued to help move the region forward, even as the economy cooled in areas that are more sensitive to interest rates and discretionary spending.

Central Florida’s technology sector remains one of our strongest assets. We have approximately 80,000 people employed in tech across the region, which is more than the number of employees at Walt Disney World. A significant portion of that activity is concentrated in modeling and simulation, defense, and gaming. That mix also speaks to the way Orlando’s legacy strengths, from entertainment to advanced training environments, have translated into modern tech capabilities.

Because much of this work is tied to defense and operates under confidentiality agreements, it does not always generate public visibility. As a result, the technology ecosystem here is larger and more sophisticated than many people realize. From an economic development standpoint, that creates an opportunity to tell a more complete story about the region’s innovation base, even when specific projects and contracts cannot be discussed publicly.

How has business confidence evolved, particularly among small and midsized businesses?

We measure business confidence quarterly through our regional business conditions survey. In the final quarter of 2025, we saw a rise in business confidence locally.

That is notable given the volatility at the national level and the decline in confidence across the broader U.S. economy. Locally, businesses appear to believe that we have weathered the slowdown better than many other regions. That optimism is reflected in their outlook and hiring intentions, and it also suggests that companies are still seeing opportunity in the region, even while they are being more disciplined in other markets.

Have recent relocations and expansions by large firms influenced that sentiment?

Yes. We continue to see strong interest from companies looking for markets that are outperforming and offering a growing workforce.

Last year, BNY announced a major expansion into Orlando. Charles Schwab announced the hiring of several hundred employees locally. Novartis also announced a $75 million facility in Winter Park. These investments, particularly in financial services and life sciences, reinforce Orlando’s appeal as a competitive business destination, and they help broaden the perception of what industries can scale here.

As our population and workforce continue to grow, companies recognize the opportunity to build teams, serve customers, and invest for the long term. When employers see a market that is adding talent, maintaining confidence, and continuing to diversify, it supports the case for expansion decisions.

How is OEP positioning Orlando as a place not only to do business, but also to live and build a career, especially in a competitive national landscape?

A few years ago, we partnered with Visit Orlando to create a unified brand, Unbelievably Real. The goal was to showcase the unique experiences that define Central Florida, whether that is immersive entertainment, cutting-edge space and technology work, or access to recreational activities and world-class dining.

Today, we jointly promote Orlando not only as a tourism and meetings destination, but also as a place for talent. Quality of life has become a central component of economic development strategy, because employers increasingly follow people, and people increasingly evaluate places through the lens of lifestyle, culture, and opportunity.

One of the highlights has been the rise of our culinary scene. Orlando’s diversity is reflected in its restaurants, with international cuisine and a growing number of Michelin-recognized establishments. The cultural vibrancy contributes to workforce attraction and retention, and it also helps reposition Orlando as a metropolitan, international destination. That internationalization has become more evident over the last couple of years, and the food scene is one of the clearest examples.

Orlando’s global connectivity has also expanded. How significant is that for the region’s future?

It is very significant. For example, a new charter flight connecting Orlando and Tokyo recently launched, marking another step in strengthening our ties with Asia.

Air connectivity is critical for both tourism and business. As Orlando expands its global reach, it reinforces our position as an international city and strengthens trade, talent mobility, and corporate investment. It also helps support the broader narrative that Orlando is not only a domestic growth market, but a region that is building stronger relationships with global partners.

How are you partnering with higher education institutions to support workforce development and long-term growth?

The University of Central Florida has been especially proactive. The university recently launched an AI institute and has entered into a partnership with BNY tied directly to the company’s expansion in Orlando.

BNY is not only establishing a major corporate presence here, but also investing on the university’s campus to help train and develop its future talent pool. Students will move through programs designed to align directly with industry needs, creating a clear pipeline from education to employment. In practice, that means employers can plan growth with more certainty, and students can see a direct connection between their coursework and career options.

This kind of collaboration benefits both employers and students. Companies gain access to a steady stream of skilled graduates, and students gain meaningful career opportunities within the region. We expect hundreds, and eventually thousands, of students to participate in these programs over time, and partnerships like this can become a model for how Orlando continues to align higher education with fast-changing industry needs.

Looking ahead to 2030, what is your outlook for Orlando?

We see Orlando continuing to evolve into an international city with aspirations to be recognized as one of the global creative capitals of the world.

Our theme parks and immersive entertainment industries are well known, but the creative workforce that powers those experiences extends far beyond tourism. That same talent contributes to technology, simulation, gaming, and large-scale creative events like Immerse in downtown Orlando, which transforms the city into a multi-day arts and innovation experience. These assets reinforce a broader competitive advantage: Orlando has a deep bench of creative and technical talent that can be applied across industries.

We are a destination that attracts people who want to live where they vacation. At the same time, business growth has kept pace with that appeal. Our unemployment rate continues to outperform the state and national averages, and we anticipate continued corporate investment as our higher education institutions expand programs tailored to employer needs.

The momentum we are seeing today, across job growth, global connectivity, innovation, and quality of life, positions Orlando for sustained growth. We expect that trajectory to continue, reinforcing our standing as a diverse, internationally connected, and economically resilient metro.

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